July 16, 2013

Developer Wants to Abandon Alley in Downtown Phoenix Even though it Goes Against the Downtown Code

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet A developer by the name of DTR 25, LLC is applying to partially abandon an alley south of Fillmore Road between 1st and 2nd Avenues in Downtown Phoenix for the purposes of “future development”. The abandonment of this alley has future implications about walkability, how buildings will deal with their back-of-house needs, and the possibility of getting yet another surface parking lot in Downtown. Below are what John Glenn, the Vice Chair of the Central City Village Planning Committee, Arizona State University, and the Central City Village Planner think about what would happen if this alley was abandoned. John…

July 09, 2013

Bike Share in Phoenix: This is going to be big!

by: James Gardner

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer James Gardner. Check out James’s new blog about health and the built environment called Healthy Cities International. The City of Phoenix recently announced its next (baby) step toward a sustainable future city: a bike share program, and has awarded a contract to a vendor, Cyclehop, LLC, for the bikes to be shared. Cyclehop’s website states that the bikes will be state-of-the-art, with an integrated GPS system, allowing each bike to be tracked, and the bicycles can be custom built for each bike share program. According to Colin Tetreault from the Mayor’s office, as early…

July 03, 2013

Leslie Lindo Instills Sustainable Practices in the Business World Through Education

by: Nichole Reber

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Nichole Reber. After four years of traveling the globe Nichole has repatriated to Phoenix. There she is following her two passions: writing and the built environment. During the day she does marketing communications, social media, and journalism for those in AEC. At night she’s at work on her first book, a travel memoir about deportation, near kidnappings, hospitalizations, and the harsh realities behind travel’s glamour. Find her on her literary blog, and check out her portfolio. Leslie Lindo doesn’t see sustainability as just a buzzword. She sees it as a means to a better community. Working for…

July 01, 2013

How Art Interventions Could Totally Change Downtown Phoenix

by: Kirby Hoyt

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Kirby Hoyt: Back in March 2012, I penned an article for this site entitled Urban Appropriation through Art. Remember that one? Right, I thought as much. Anyway, I keep thinking about the urban condition of Phoenix and how even the small things can promote positive change. Phoenix has a condition of transitory land use wherein something like 40% of the downtown is vacant offers so many possibilities for a variety of ephemeral uses. The one I propose would become a sustainable model for Phoenix. Using art as a method of tactical urbanism could…

June 21, 2013

City of Phoenix Selects Design Team to Re-envision Margaret Hance Park

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Great parks add to the heart and soul of a city. Think of Central Park in New York, Forest Park in Portland, and Balboa Park in San Diego. There are few cities that need an infusion of heart and soul more than Phoenix. And so the recent selection of a design team for the revitalization of Margaret Hance Park bears with it a great hope that the park can become a big part of the heart and soul of Phoenix. The City of Phoenix just hired a design team that will take the park from being a green space…

June 18, 2013

Experience a 100 Years of Hawthorne on the 2013 Pedalpalooza Ride about the Urban Architecture of Hawthorne

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet The history of Hawthorne Boulevard is a microcosm of the history of the entire city of Portland. It reflects the city’s early beginnings in agriculture, its economic booms and busts, it’s housing expansion, and it’s movement from horse and buggies to streetcars to buses to personal cars. This Thursday, June 20, 2013, I will be leading a Pedalpalooza bike ride about the Urban Architecture of Hawthorne Boulevard, focusing on a 100 years of history from 1850 to 1950. We’ll be meeting at Albina Press on 5012 SE Hawthorne Blvd. at 2:00pm, we’ll roll at 2:30pm…Click here or here for more…

June 13, 2013

To simplify infill development process, the City of Phoenix reaches out in ‘listening sessions’

by: Jennifer Gunther

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Jennifer Gunther: Members of the City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department informally met with local developers in the AE England Building in downtown Phoenix Tuesday afternoon to get a feel for what those on the other side of city code think about current regulations and procedures. Cynthia Stotler, the assistant director of the department, opened the floor of the historic building’s spacious event room to the audience for a “listening session.” She said that in response to growing demand for a more livable urban environment in Phoenix, the City wants to ask…

June 11, 2013

Portland World Naked Bike Ride Delivers Joy, Laughter and Community

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet The World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) may be old news to many Portlanders by now, as this year marks the 9th annual bike ride, but it was a first for me. It was an experience of a life time and one I’ll never forget. I love that while there are WNBRs hosted all over the world, Portland hosts the biggest. Last year, there were 10,000 people on the ride, and I imagine that this year was even bigger. People reported that they were still spotting riders at the starting point when they were almost to the end of the route. My…

June 07, 2013

The City of Flagstaff Shows Real Leadership in Sustainability

by: James Gardner

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer James Gardner: In 2011, the City of Flagstaff, a university town, home to about 50,000 permanent residents and 15,000 students, launched its official sustainability initiative, the Municipal Sustainability Plan (MSP), taking a public step in the direction toward sustainability as a city. There were many initiatives within their departments prior to 2011, but its first Municipal Sustainability Plan was published in 2011, marking a clear intent to operate sustainably, and distance itself from some nearby cities and towns, who have shunned the idea of sustainability. The City’s MSP focuses primarily on the operations…

June 05, 2013

How to Vacation with a Low Carbon Footprint

by: Lucky Sharma

Tweet It was February 4, 2013 and Memorial Day Weekend was coming soon (just four months out). The age old question haunted me – where should I visit next? Planning for the three-day weekend started a little over four months out because I did not want to pay tons of money in airfares and hotels. I thought, “Why plan a vacation that will not only be expensive but will also generate a high carbon footprint?” So I started thinking about what plan would work for me and also be good for the planet. This question has never had many good…